Metal sheets oe plates



(Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. N. HOPKINS.

JAPANNING METAL SHEETS 0R PLATES.

No. 278,707. Patented June 5,1883.

N. PETERS Fhcln-Lilhognphir. Wuhingtan. D. C.

' UNITED STATES; PATENT ALFRED N. HOPKINS, or BIRMI GH M, ENGLAND.

JAPANNING M ETAL SHEETS OR PLATES. i

ePEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 278,707, dated June 5,1883.

Application filed June 9, i852. (Modem Patented in England November 29,1881, No. 5,209.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED NIND HOPKINS, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing in Birmingham, England," have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in the Art of Japanning Metal Sheets or Plates andother Articles, of which the following is a speci fication.

This invention relates to a method of coating'the surface of tin-plate(or of articles made therefi'om) or other surfaces with japan or othersimilar coating material which is capable of being set or hardened byheat. Heretofore such plates or articles have been coated by applyingthe japan to them with abrush, or by dipping them in a bath of j apan,after whichthey have been baked or Fstoved in the wellknown manner.Plates or articles so coated present a surface that is smooth to thetouch, and when the japan is properly laid on is smooth and uniform andsomewhat glossy in appearance.

The object of my invention is -to apply to the metal or other surface acoating of a novel and peculiar character, in order that the coatedsurface shall be more completely disguised than by j apanning asheretofore practiced, and the value of the coated article therebyenhanced.

To this end my invention consists in charging the surface ofa yieldingroller with j apan or other equivalent coating material ofathick consistency, passing the roller so charged, under pressure, back and forthrepeatedly over the surface to be decorated until the latter is entirelycovered with a continuous coating, and

finally baking the article so coated, whereby a hardened coating isobtained, which presents a rough granular or pebbled surface, somewhatresembling the surface of certain kinds of leather; and it furtherconsists in a metal plate or sheet or other article which is providedwith a hardened coating of this character.

In carrying my process into practice I proceed as follows: I prepare thejapan in much the usual manner, mixing with it whatever colors orpigments are desired; but instead of making it so thin or light of bodyas to be readily laid on with a brush, I make it of greater consistencyin order that it shall be somewhat tacky or adhesive. The consistency ofthe japan may bevaried tosome extent, according to the character of thecoating desired, as whether it is to be thick or thin, and coarsely orfinely granulated, the exact consistency in every case being ascertainedby experiment.

Instead ofjapan, any other suitable coating material may be used whichpossesses the same property of setting or hardening upon the applicationof heat, and by the term japan, as used in this specification, I meaneither j apan or any such other equivalent substance. The japan or othermaterial having been suitably prepared, it is applied to the surface tobe coated by means ofa roller or rollers, either by hand or machine. Thecoating-roller has a surfaceof some elastic or yielding material such asvulcanized rubber or leatherbeing formed preferably with a core of woodor metal covered with the yielding covering. For coating irregular orcurved surfaces such as the surfaces of articles made from sheet metalitis preferable to use a hand-roller. In such case the japan may be spreadon a fiat. plate or stone; over which the roller may be passed in orderto charge its surface with the japan, in similar manner to the inking ofhand printingrollers. In. this way, or by any other suitable means, the.entire surface of the roller that is designed to come in contact withthe surface to be decorated is charged with a continuous coating ofjapan. The plate or article is then firmly held in position, and theroller so charged is rolled, under pressure, backward and for-. wardover its surface, or the portion of its surface which it is desired todecorate, until the latter is entirely coated with a continuousandsubstantially uniform coating. Owing to the yielding of the surfaceof the roller, the thick consistency ofthe japan, and the absence of anySliding or wiping movement, the japan is applied ina rough coating, itssurface beinggranular to the touch and presenting a pebbled or mattedappearance. This granulation is due in part to the lifting of minuteportions of the japan as the surface of the roller leaves the coatedsurface, owing to the partial adherence of the j apanto the yieldingsurface of the roller, and also in part to the roughness or porosity ofthe surface of the roller. If the granulation is desired to be coarse orstrongly marked, a

plate maybe passed. The accompanying drawan inch. The journals of theserollers turn in the roller.

back and forth through the machine-say first roller with a pitted ordeeply-granulated sur- I face should be used. 5

Vlren it is desired to coat tin-plate or other metal sheets according tomy invention it is preferable to employ a machine in which there shouldbe two or more rollers automatically supplied with the japan, betweenwhich the ings illustrate a machine well adapted for this purpose.Figure 1 is a front elevation thereof, and Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse section cut in the plane of the line in a.

A A is the frame, and A its bed-plate. B B are the rollers, which areformed with wooden or iron cores covered with vulcanized indiarubber toa thickness of about three-eighths of blocks 0 G, which slide verticallyin the frame A A, and the upper blocks are forced downward by screws DD, by which the rollers can be pressed together with any desiredpressure. Three rollers are shown, the upper and lower ones of whichreceive the charge of japan from troughs F and G. The trough F isbottomless, and is set just over the upper roller, being adjustedvertically by. screws L L to regulate the thickness of the coatingimparted by it to The trough G is fixed beneath the lower roller, sothat the latter is partially immersed in the japan, and is provided witha scrapingplate, N, adjusted by screws 0 O to regulate the thickness ofthe coating taken up by the roller.

The metal plates are coated by being passed between the bottom andmiddle rollers, and then back between the middle and upper rollers, andso on until the desired coating is attained. \Vhen only one side of theplates is to be coated they may be passed through the rollers in pairs,or each rolled in contact with ablank or dummy plate to keep theintended plain side from coming in contact with the rollers. After thetin plate or other article has received its coating it is then baked orstoved in the usual manner, preferably at a high temperature.

Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying. drawings are designed to illustratethe finished plate coated according to my invention. Fig. 3 is plan of afragment of plate, showing the coated side; and Fig. 4 is a magnifiedcross-section of the plate, the black portion denoting the coat ing andthe shaded portion the plate.

The japan coating applied according to my invention is of uniformthickness, and is not liable to peel or crack off. In fact, a plate ofthin metal may be bent to sharp angles without cracking or impairing itscoatin The appearance of the coating is such as to entirely disguise thecharacter of the surface to which it is applied, so that materialscoated according to my invention may be put to many uses for which theirappearance has heretofore unfitted them.

I am aware that paint and varnish have been applied to surfaces of woodand metal by means of yielding rollers; but I am not aware that thickjapan has ever been applied to any surface by yielding rollers in such amanner as to leave a pebbled or granulated coating.

I claim as my inveiition 1. The improvement in the art of japanning,which consists in employing japan, or other similar coating materialcapable of being set or hardened by heat, of a thick consistency, asdescribed, charging therewith the surface of a yielding roller, passingthe roller so charged, underpressure, back and forth repeatedly overthesurface to be decorated until the latter is entirely covered with acontinuous coating, and finally baking the. article so coated,substantially as set forth, whereby the coating is given a pebbled orgranular texture.

2. A metal plate or sheet or other article the surface of which iscomposed of a continuous coating of hardened japan, said coating be ingof a rough surface, presenting a pebbled or granular texture,substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ALFRED NIND HOPKINS.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES \VRIGHT HASKIN, DANIEL BARRON BRIGHTWELL.

